


nobody.

by protect-me (troshby)



Category: Baseball RPF
Genre: AU, M/M, this is just me ranting about how i feel about the trade
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-23
Updated: 2014-12-23
Packaged: 2018-03-02 23:48:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,225
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2830466
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/troshby/pseuds/protect-me
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>in which Shelby and Kevin meet after the trade that sent Shelby to play for the Atlanta Braves.</p>
            </blockquote>





	nobody.

_Nobody knew, and no one would know if he continued to let himself go down this road. It had been far too long, far too lonely, and far too much. He couldn’t continue like this. He wouldn’t allow himself to._

 

It was the middle of the 2015 season, which meant Shelby had been playing for the Atlanta Braves for a few months now. He didn’t mind too much. The Braves were a great set of guys, a great team. Sure, he missed the St. Louis Cardinals- but they _had_ traded him- and he still wasn’t sure how he felt about that. Especially now that he hadn’t seen, or spoken, to his number one on that team- Kevin Siegrist. They had been brought up together and were trained together. They grew so close during the two years Shelby spent with the Cardinals so it really hurt him to see that Kevin hadn’t kept in contact. 

That couldn’t keep bringing him down, the not seeing Kevin and all, because he had to be ready. Had to be ready to pitch at any moment, whether it be out of the bullpen or as a starter. Today would be one of those days that he would have to pitch out of the bullpen. The Braves’ ace Medlen had gone seven with nine hits and two earned runs, so it was time to bring him out of the game, meaning _Shelby_ had to go in the game, as a reliever. The score was currently 5-5 in a critical part of the game. Fortunately for Shelby, it was a 1-2-3 inning for him. 

In the midst of the commotion, him getting ready to appear in relief, he had almost forgotten that today the Atlanta Braves were playing his old team- the St. Louis Cardinals. Sure it had been a 1-2-3 inning for him but _not_ for the Cardinals’ second relief pitcher, Seth Maness. His eyes widened when the third relief pitcher of the game was announced; it was none other than Kevin Siegrist himself. He took long confident strides from the bullpen to the mound, taking in his surroundings. Shelby always loved that about him, his confidence. Sometimes it got to be too much, but he knew how to keep it under control. And as Shelby figured, it was a quick inning of work for Kevin. 

The game went well, just as Kevin and Shelby had left it. But of course, a baseball game can’t end until someone puts the winning run or runs on the board. Since Shelby had been doing so well, Gonzales had let him stay, but had to lead off in their part of the inning, facing none other than Kevin. Kevin stayed calm and collected (of course) while Shelby wanted to be swallowed by a black hole and never be heard from again. The first pitch was a curveball up and in, Shelby swung and missed. The second pitch hit him on the hip and fuck, it hurt like a bitch. 

“What the hell is your problem!?” Shelby had screamed, charging the mound.

“What’s my problem!?” Kevin yelled back, throwing his glove aside (by this time Molina was in between both of them, telling them to back off). “You damn well know what my goddamn problem is, you fucking _slut_. I’ve been told you’re messing around with Kimbrel.”

“That’s none of your business. I can mess with whomever I please, I was _never_ yours.”

Somehow Kevin managed to not hit Molina, but instead, hit Shelby. A hard punch landed in his left cheek. It hurt so bad (not only because the punch itself had hurt but because it was _Kevin_ who had hit him). Shelby never expected it to come this far, but unfortunately it had. He wasn’t about to let Kevin be the only one throwing punches so he punched Kevin as well, right on the nose, making it bleed profusely. Both Kevin and Shelby were thrown out of the game immediately, escorted to their respective clubhouse by their managers.

“What the hell was that?” Gonzales asked, examining the growing bruise on Shelby’s cheek. 

“Just bad blood between me and Siegrist,” he replied. “Things that had to be sorted out between us since I left St. Louis.”

“Well, jesus christ, this can’t keep going on- especially not on the field. You’re going to get suspended next time you do something like this. Whatever it is that you need to sort out with St. Louis’ guy, it needs to be _off_ the field, am I understood?”

“Yes sir.”

After Gonzales left, Shelby began to question _what_ he and Kevin really needed to sort out. Sure they had grown close the two years he was in St. Louis, but they never really established what relationship the two had. They never told each other _what_ they felt for each other (even though it was pretty fucking obvious to everyone around them). 

That day, St. Louis ended up winning 7-5 in 15, which meant the team had taken two out of three from the Braves. Shelby walked to his car by himself since he had made it pretty clear that he wanted to be left alone. Right as he was getting into his car, he heard a voice calling his name (one he hoped wasn’t going to do so)- Kevin.

“Wait up,” he said. “Don’t go, we’ve got to talk.”

“What are you going to hit me again?” Shelby asked, making sure the venom in his voice was audible. “Go ahead, be my fucking guest.”

“Woah, I didn’t say any bad words to you, so I don’t see why you can speak to me with such filthy language. I’m just here to ask you to forgive me. Things got out of hand today.”

“Damn right they did.”

“Listen,” he pleaded. “I was really upset when I learned that you were leaving St. Louis. It made me really upset that my number one was leaving for another team, but there was nothing I could do, so I just shut down. I only spoke to someone in games, but not outside of them. I just really missed you, and this- _today_ \- was the only way I could come up with to make you feel the way I did. I’m sorry.”

“You think _you’re_ the only one that felt upset about the trade, Kevin? No. I was fucking devastated when I found out I was leaving. I was so upset that I wouldn’t get to see you everyday and instead would have to settle for tv. You’re not the only one that was hurt because of the trade.”

“Let’s quit then,” Kevin said, sounding desperate. “Let’s fucking retire or something and go live somewhere else. Somewhere that’s not America.”

“We can’t do that,” Shelby said, laughing slightly. “We haven’t been here for long and being here was a childhood dream of mine, I can’t just abandon it.”

“You’re right.”

“Listen, if you feel the same way that I do about you, we’re going to make this work.”

And it did, their relationship worked out. Even though Shelby and Kevin were on different teams, they still found time for each other. Phone and video calls, text messages, flying to where the other was sometimes. It all helped them be together. It helped them fill the void _nobody_ could fill, for either of them.


End file.
